Just sick
by Tex1051
Summary: Even if he doesnt want to admit it, Kirk is sick, no slash-K/Mc friendship
1. Chapter 1

a/n- this is my first multi-chapter fic so im gonna need some help with ideas and reviews would be great. I'll try and average about 1,000 words per chapter but right now I am tired so its only about 600, unbetaed, if you want to beta it then tell me as long as your fast at reading it.

Not slash

Disclaimer- if they were mine, would I be writing fanfiction?

-Tex

* * *

"I don't know how I'm gonna make it through today" thought James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise.

The Alarm was never this high pitched. He felt worse than when he went to sleep, and he felt pretty crappy when he went to sleep. Jim figured he would get over it with some sleep- he was wrong- dead wrong. Turning over and feeling his sore muscles he stared at the clock until it came into focus, which took way too long.

"Uhh…" Kirk moaned as he realized he was 10 minutes behind schedule and only had 20 minutes to get up to the bridge. As the captain sat up he fought down a very strong wave of nausea. Taking a quick shower he felt his sinuses clearing. He hadn't realized how congested he was; the hot water also helped his sore muscles. Reluctantly he turned off the water and looked in the mirror. He was pale, sweaty, and looked like he hadn't slept for days. Felt like it too.

5 minutes to get to the bridge. Well, he wasn't gonna be early. The thought of food making him nauseous, he went directly up to the bridge. While in the elevator Kirk lapsed into a coughing fit, the likes of which he could not pull himself out of until just before the elevator came. Trying to hide the evidence he walked out looking confidant as ever, he knew it didn't hide how bad he must appear of how bad he felt.

This felt like the worst hang-over ever and now he was getting a splitting headache and some weak light-headedness. He could feel fever raging within him. Damned if he was gonna show it though. Putting on his best smile he tried to avoid eye contact with everyone. That's very hard to do he soon found out as people wonder who you are talking to when you don't look at them.

"Keptin, Ariwl at Alias VI is just over sewen hours away, baring complications, ve should just be trawling with no encounters" A distinctly Russian voice said looking at the captain expectantly. Kirk could just barley look at him as the lights were surprisingly bright. But he did manage to tell him "If there is one thing we all have learned its to expect complications and we might be okay"

"Keptin, are you alright? You do not look good" Chekov asked quite worried.

"Indeed Captain, you do not appear well" Spock said from his right.

"I'm fine, now both of you back to your stations" if only the lights weren't so damn bright maybe he could think straighter. Straighter? Was that even a word it didn't sound like a word, maybe he should ask Spock, It might just be one of those things where when you say them over and over again they don't sound real. He couldn't ask Spock, Spock would know something was wrong if he asked him about something as stupid as that; but still, straighter? Man, he must really be out of it if he was actually thinking about this.

"Captain… Captain…" Oh, Spock was trying to get his attention.

"Yes Mr. Spock?" Kirk said still avoiding the lights

"Since we are merely traveling today, perhaps you should take the day off as you are currently in no state to work, also I believe that a visit to Doctor McCoy could prove good" Spock said, blank faced, as always

"I'm fine, Mr. Spock, don't worry about me" after this Jim took a daring move and stood up suddenly to show he was ok and check the navigation coordinates, standing up however, his world promptly turned to black and all he could feel were surprisingly gentle hands lowering him to the floor.


	2. Chapter 2

a/n- hey, overwhelmed by the response, in a good way. I try to break things up into smaller paragraphs. I know that when I read I tend to skip over long paragraphs because they are too hard to read. That doesn't end well for me. r/r

unbetaed, not even read over, cant look at the screen anymore, just finished project, please tell me any errors you find, these stories always seem alot longer before they're posted, anyone else realize that?

-Tex

* * *

As Kirk slowly came into the land of the living, he couldn't figure out where he was. He had a splitting headache but was thinking much clearer than before. For the life of him he couldn't figure out where he was. He tried opening his eyes but the light was so bright. Worst hangover ever. What was that beeping noise and could anyone make it stop? Jim tried to bring his hand to his head out of instinct because of the headache but felt his arm not wanting to cooperate. He heard a shuffle from somewhere to his right. He opened his eyes only slightly to try and ascertain the situation. While he was thinking more clearly, there were certainly a lot of blank spots, like why was he here? Where was here? And why was his mouth so dry?

"Doctor McCoy, I think the Captain is waking up" a familiar female voice said. However, Jim couldn't place it. Suddenly, he fell into a coughing fit the likes of which he hadn't seen before. He felt a strong, calm hand on his back trying to get him to stop but it was really of no use. After about a minute (it felt like five) it finally let up. Panting he felt the strong hands push him back onto the bed.

"You ok, Jim?" Damn, Bones looked worried. More like calming down actually but right now was no time to play with adjectives.

"You wanna tell me why you didn't come down here on your own this morning?" he asked dryly

"Not particularly, no" Jim scratched out

"I'm gonna go get you some water, don't go anywhere, I know you'd try" and with that he walked out of the room. Kirk felt so bad he couldn't even think of going anywhere. But he couldn't blame Bones for telling him not to, he had wondered off a fair amount of times from sickbay before Bones would have liked or even considered letting him go. As Bones came back in the room, Jim had one question on his mind. After drinking some water, he finally asked

"What happened?"

"You collapsed on the bridge when your fever reached 105⁰F. I'm surprised you were alert, let alone able to hold a conversation! Why in the hell didn't you come to me earlier! This could have all been a whole lot easier if you could just accept that you're human, humans get sick and you need to admit to that! Gosh Jim, you're my best friend but I hate you!" McCoy finished, Jim wasn't about to interrupt because it was better to just let him finish harassing you because then at least it was over.

Trying to sit up a little just to hold a better conversation he felt a wave of nausea that he just couldn't keep back, Bones, anticipating this, was ready with a basin which he shoved in front of him. Not having eaten in a few days, it wasn't too bad, but it still wasn't good.

"No more fluids for you, I'm gonna give you something to help with your fever, you're still at 102⁰F, get some sleep you idiot, it looks like you need it. I don't think you'll be going anywhere for a few days."

With a little more glee than there should have been, he put the hypospray to Jim's neck. Jim hated hypos, it made McCoy happy inside.

* * *

Idiot, McCoy couldn't help but mutter to himself, if the kid could just take care of himself this wouldn't be an issue. Now he is stuck looking out for the immortal Jim Kirk. Bones is starting to think he might be immortal too; the kid by all probability should not be alive. Don't get me wrong, he's glad that he is, but he is still and idiot. Dumbest genius in the fleet.

McCoy was worried sick when he got the call that the captain had collapsed on the bridge. He had dealt with his friend in much worse condition but still, he never expected Jim to let it go this far without at least letting up that something is wrong. Ha! He should have known better. He has got to be the boy's damn keeper or something.

If he could just hire a midget to follow him around all day and report back if anything had been wrong. But would they let a midget in Starfleet? After thinking for a minute he realized that if that was the biggest flaw that he saw in the plan he needed more sleep than he thought. Why a midget? He had been up for sixteen hours after a very hard day, four of those hours were spent in surgery on an officer who wouldn't tell all the details but the incident involved a chicken, a toothbrush and glue. After that he didn't really want to know.

He had been waiting for Jim to wake up before turning in. From what the doctor could see, the fever wasn't going down much on its own, Jim wouldn't be leaving the sickbay for at least a week at this rate, and that's if McCoy gets sick of him. Kirk was in bad condition and he was going to became delirious soon. After hearing him mumble something about mummies in engineering he figured that had already happened. Oh well, treat the symptoms, do what you can. But would Jim forgive him for the oncoming barricade of hypos?


	3. Chapter 3

a/n sorry this chapter is kind of short, I have midterms this week. r/r

I will update as soon as I can. Give me any ideas you have If you want them put in. That could help me to update faster

-Tex

* * *

Waking up for his shift at 0600 hours, no dreams involving midgets, Bones thought of the day ahead of him. Still tired but functional. It was gonna be a long day. Getting down to the sickbay his first priority was his friend. The kid drove him crazy sometimes, but damned if it wasn't his job to pull him through it.

Jim was in a very fitful sleep, going over to check on him, he realized that he was covered in sweat too, his fever had reached 106. Going into Doctor Mode he immediately grabbed a fever reducer hypo. The human body can't handle that kind of temperature for very long. Where was the night staff, or day staff (time is relative in space) well someone was gonna pay. There could be brain damage if his fever had been up that high for long. He was gonna find who was responsible and make life very unpleasant for them.

After looking in on the man from surgery yesterday, still refusing to tell him what the chicken was used for, Bones took up residence at Kirk's bedside. He could see the whole sickbay from any point unless the view was intentionally obstructed.

Deeply immersed in paperwork, he was quite surprised when Kirk sat up and yelled to McCoy something about a gremlin on the bridge. He looked horrible. Completely out of it, incoherent, sweating, and worried about a gremlin poking at Spock. Just hearing about the delirium, it would have been pretty funny, but it wasn't funny at all. It was downright scary.

McCoy put a hand on Jims shoulder to calm him down but it wasn't working. Jim had a look on his face. One completely new even to McCoy. Fear. He was talking about how the ship was gonna be destroyed, crossed wires rigging it to explode, fighting to get up and fix it Kirk was easily overpowered in his weakened state, but he had no idea what was going on. Now McCoy was scared. Jim was getting harder to fight off.

"Jim, its okay, the ship is safe" Bones said trying to calm him down

"Gotta fix the wires, gotta fix the wires." He said to himself, unaware he was being held back, no idea of his surroundings "Spock is gonna kill Ntisha!" he said in a sudden revelation, like that would persuade him to help. At least he knew the gremlin had a name. A name from a delirious man fueled by fever, but to Jim, apparently it meant something.

His temperature had gone to 105, any higher and he wouldn't be able to take it. The reducer wasn't working well enough. Just then Kirk went eerily silent as the monitors above him blared. He was having a febrile seizure.

"Nurse, get the Thormapane now, 20cc" McCoy called out trying to hold Kirk still. Still violently seizing, McCoy injected the Thormapane and he slowly calmed down. Temperature down to 103. Bones had been terrified. This may not have been Kirks first seizure but all the other ones were from allergies and easy enough to counter-act. This was different. He had no control over what was happening. He didn't like that.

* * *

Around an hour later, after the whole seizure scare, Spock came into the Sickbay to check on the status of the captain. McCoy didn't really know what to tell him. He didn't really have any good news, Jim had gotten worse.

"The captain was not in such a severe condition when he was admitted" Spock observed

"That is what 'gotten worse' means you green- blooded hobgoblin" Bones admitted in frustration

Jim stirred in his sleep. Still mumbling incoherently. His fever would not go below 103. Spock and Bones both looked on in worry. Nether voicing their worry of what they knew would happen if he did not start recovering soon.

Brain damage.


	4. Chapter 4

a/n- sorry I didn't update in a while, massive homework. Please give me ideas, I just had to have a train of thought but I could use some help to figure out where it's going. Thank you for all the reviews, you guys rock, please point out any errors you find.

-Tex

* * *

Damn he was tired. That was all he could really think about. Tired. Well tired and confused, where the hell was he? His head hurt and his throat was astoundingly sore. Like it was bleeding almost. He tried to take a deep breath but that only resulted in needing to cough but not having the strength to, he was so weak. This was scary.

"Jim" he heard in a frantic voice as monitors above him wailed. He felt someone's firm hands on his back helping him to sit up and try to calm him down. It was easier now that he was sitting up but the fit wouldn't stop. Every time he would cough it felt like razors in this throat. It calmed down after what felt like hours. The steady hand never left his back and kept him sitting up. He was completely supporting him.

"Calm down, Jim, try breathing normally, come on, it's okay, calm down" Jim realized the man was saying, wait, he knew this guy, Bones.

"Bones…" he said painfully and dry

It was only then that he realized how hard he was breathing and how fast. He tried to calm down. It took a few minutes but Dr. McCoy stayed trying to settle him down.

Back at reality he opened his eyes and saw a very tired Bones. Every year he was older than the captain showed today plus many he knew weren't there.

"Hey, you scared the crap out of me" he looked relieved. "How are you doing?"

Trying to figure out how exactly to say, 'I have a midge running around with a jackhammer in my head and I feel like someone is shooting me every time I breathe'. But he realized that he couldn't think in a much longer train of thought before his mind just stopped. Bones was talking too much and he decided that it wasn't worth thinking about it and settled on "Huh…?"

"Your fever is still way too high; I'm surprised you are even this coherent. You are still at 104⁰, much higher than I'd like but not really in as much danger as you were a little while ago, you spiked to 106, 106! Do you have any idea what that can do to you? You had a seizure because you couldn't handle it! Ugh…" McCoy laid Jim back down on the bed. Jim really had no idea what was going on. He stopped trying to follow long ago. All he did was recognize the hypo and stared at it. He knew he wouldn't like where this was going as he felt it stick in his neck and a sudden blackness came over him.

'Dammit Bones' was all he really could think.

* * *

Bones was significantly less worried now. Jim's temperature had stopped going up. But with meds he was still between 102⁰ (at good times) and 104⁰. He couldn't be angry at Jim anymore for not coming down to sickbay earlier when he first felt sick, he was gonna kill him for that later, when he was feeling better and not so close to at any point about to become delirious. Now he was just worried about his friend. Hey, he guessed it was good that there were no gremlins named Ntisha that Sock was trying to kill, where was that guy anyway?

* * *

Spock came down after Delta shift to check on Jim. As he entered the sickbay he soon found Dr. McCoy sitting right next to Jim looking at a PADD he seemed to be reading quite eagerly.

"Dr. McCoy, might I enquire as to the status of the captain?" Spock asked

"Oh, there you are, I was wondering if you would stop by again" Bones said distractedly

"Why would I not? It is my job as first officer to know the status of the crew and the captain" Spock replied earnestly.

"Ya, well, whatever, he woke up a little while ago but wasn't really with it. I've got is fever controlled but it's much higher than I would like it to be, but he doesn't seem to be in any danger anymore" Dr. McCoy replied still buried in a PADD

"Might I inquire as to the possibility of brain damage sustained during the seizure?"

Now Dr. McCoy seemed to be focusing on him more "Ya, he should be fine, he recognized me" he buried his head in his hands "although you never really know with these things, I need him completely conscious and with it before I can rule on that"

"You do not look well Doctor, perhaps you acquired whatever the captain is infected with" Spock said obviously noticing how tired Dr. McCoy looked and the bags under his eyes.

"Naw, I'm fine, just haven't been getting enough sleep" he added as he yawned.

"You will want to see to that, as I am certain you know your body is far more susceptible to infectious disease when you are so tired"

"Hey, who's the doctor here?" Bones said with a certain distain

As Spock was about to reply they heard a very soft "Bones…"

Both turned their eyes to their captain

"Hey, Jim, you with us?" Bones asked as he stared with concern at his best friend moving closer to him.

"Hey Bones" He sounded coherent enough. "What happened?"

He wouldn't remember, just like he didn't the last time, although now he knew what was going on.

"You're sick Jim"

"Ya, I'd put that much together" Jim started slurring his words. His eyes were closing. "Why am I so tired Bones?" it was quieter and more slurred.

"The residual effects of the sedative I gave you. Go to sleep Jim" He pitied his friend, but he knew Jim hated pity. Yet again, torture of his best friend gave Doctor McCoy a disturbing amount of pleasure.

"No more Hypos" he finally mumbled and then he instructed McCoy "don't let Spock kill Ntisha, she's cool on board"

Ignoring the copious amounts of questions raised, he watched his friend sleep, hoping he was getting better and it would be peaceful.


	5. Chapter 5

a/n- sorry this took so long, i had mid-terms this week and i kind of had to write this in 20 minutes and yesterday the site wouldn't let me post, i always prefer a faster update even if the chapter is smaller. only a few more chapters. thank you so much to those of you who review, you guys rock

virtual cookies to anyone who can find the fairly odd parents reference!

-Tex

* * *

Jim had been sleeping peacefully for three hours. The fever reducers were finally taking effect. He had been stable at 102 for the last two hours; McCoy was finally able to relax. 30 minutes ago he allowed himself to get some sleep in his own room with Chapel under strict orders (and possible penalty of death) to alert him if anything changed. At all. Jim should wake up in a few hours and he was the only one who understood the medical antics of the captain (not to mention all of his allergies) but he also hadn't been in his own bed for too long and he was tired. Tired with worry, emotion, annoyance, and just plain tired.

He felt like he had just closed his eyes when a page came to the room

"Sickbay to Dr. McCoy, Sickbay to Dr. McCoy"

He looked at the clock and realized he had been sleeping for six hours.

He walked over to the comm. "McCoy here"

"Sir, the captain wants to see you."

"Ya I'll be there in a second"

McCoy quickly changed his clothes as he realized he had been wearing the same ones for quite a while. He also wondered about how the comms didn't broadcast communications across the whole ship. How did it know who things were being sent to when you only pressed one button? He decided to think about this as he walked to the sickbay. Then he realized he had gotten nowhere in his understanding and walked over to Nurse Chapel.

"S'goin on?" he asked now remembering the Jim.

"The captain woke up 10 minutes ago and was kind of confused. I commed you because of your orders and your 'threat of death'" she replied. McCoy smiled, she was the only one who could have seen through his threat, even though he was quite serious, she got him.

McCoy walked over to see his friend.

"Hey Jim" He said happily

"S'goin on?" He slurred asking. Jim's temperature was down to 100. He looked better, but he still looked like hell. Jim was still pale, and looked tired, but was completely coherent. Bones was overcome with relief that there was no significant brain damage but he still had to make sure.

"What's the last thing that you remember?"

"Uh…" he said pensively "The bridge and Spock and stuff, so when can I get out of here?"

"Never if I have anything to say about it cuz you wount come down here when you need to, so don't even think about trying to get out of here for at least three more days." There was the Bones he knew and loved and hated

"Well maybe I would if you took less pleasure in stabbing me" Jim said with a smirk

"That reminds me" He pulled out five hypos and smiled at the look af horror on his best friends face.

"Suck it up, it'll make you feel better In the long run"

What about the short run"

"The short run has to suffer"

"But the short run doesn't want to suffer"

Stab, hiss

'What the hell Bones, at least give me some warning" He said with his hand on his neck and in more pain than he actually felt

"I gave you plenty of warning"

"Why do you insist on hurting me so?"

"You can only imagine the joy that I feel in my heart right now" Bones said deadpan

Stab, hiss

"Ow!"

Stab , hiss

"Stop that"

Double stab!

"Your good now" Bones said "You know, it hurts less if you just take it like a man and be ready for it."

"Not gonna happen and now I hurt more" Jim said, stubborn as ever. Jim felt kind of funny. He suddenly felt much more tired and weak.

"did you give me a sedative?" he slurred

"No, why?"

"I feel weird" he said before he lost consciousness and the alarms above him blared. Just like last time.

He lapsed into another seizure.

"Chapel, get Thormapane30ccs" as he gave him yet another stab he calmed.

"Keep a constant watch on him, he's stubborn" he instructed Chapel

"You act like I don't know him, doctor" she smirked, Bones smiled


	6. Chapter 6

a/n- sorry it took so long to update, school, don't ask (It involves gerbils, mushrooms and cotton candy) anyway, couldn't update until now

Didn't proof read it, too tired, one more chapter to go, love all the reviews, keep them coming, they make me feel guilty and I feel like I have to write faster

I own nothing accept for a chipmunk Beanie Baby I have named Steve (it's my thing)

Salve!

-Tex

* * *

Anaphylaxis, of course, this was a clerical error, it had been one of the medications labeled wrong. And now he Jim fought the anaphylaxis. Jim would be fine of course. Allergic to frickin' everything on God's green earth; miracle the kid wasn't dead long before Bones got to him. It was no one's fault that he could get his hands on. The medication had been wrongly labeled and there is no way anyone could have known. He was gonna kill the manufacturer. This was a serious mistake and now he couldn't trust any of the hypos he had. He was going to have to test them and make sure they were labeled correctly. What a waste of time he could be using.

His friend, hell his brother had been in worse shape before. That didn't mean he didn't worry about him every minute of every single frickin' day. Jim scared the hell out of him. But they were both hopeless misfits, they needed each other more than anyone would ever know. Jim moaned slightly and moved a little. McCoy was one hundred percent alert now, focused on his friend. He was not awake yet, he had just stirred.

Bones got up and walked around a bit. He needed to clear his head. He however could not get himself to leave the sickbay. Kirk drove him insane but he had long since accepted that particular part of their friendship. They never could abandon each other.

A few months ago, back at the academy Bones took a pretty hard hit to the head. However, he couldn't go to the med bay because then he and Jim would be put on academic probation. Bones would have been fine and they both knew it, but, brothers. Jim hadn't left him alone until he had to go to class. McCoy had break start a week early. He never left him alone. He knew he was being stupid but Bones appreciated it. It showed that there really is a person under that cocky playboy persona. He also knew that Jim thought of him in a high regard, he didn't go overprotective on everyone.

Maybe its because it was Bones who backed him up without being asked to. Just that he knows that he cares and to have someone who is willing to risk their well-being to save his. That is a friend, that is a brother, that is something Jim had never had. And damn it all Bones was gonna be his guardian if he needed to, Jim had to know people cared about him

This was why he couldn't leave Jim. People didn't care about Jim in a way that he needed. He had never had anyone to yell at him because they wanted the best for him, to tell him how stupid it was to pick a fight with someone twice your size while trying to set a broken arm. He had never had anyone to tell him that he could do something, he was not "George Kirk's son" and he was not "just another rebel", he was looking for something, a safety that he found with Starfleet. And with Bones.

Starfleet built trust he had lost looking out for only himself. It gave him self- worth and made him feel important. That was what he needed. To know that he was appreciated. It didn't have to be said, he was not petty and wasn't looking for constant approval, but James T. Kirk needed to feel valued. And that was something McCoy could and would give him. He could never abandon his friend, he never had and he never will. He would like to see someone try and make him. That would be interesting.

Just then Jim Kirk started to wake up,

"Hey Bones, S'goin on?" A raspy voice questioned


	7. Chapter 7

a/n- hey sorry it took so long to update, been working on another story in my Michael Scott spiral notebook (also known as my Latin notebook) sorry if its disjointed from the other chapters, im really tired, I think that's it for this story, its all happily ever after. Thanks for all the support and reviews. You guys rock!

Virtual Kirk bobble-heads!

-Tex

* * *

"Jim, thank God!" Bones had been a bit more worried than he had let on earlier. Too many possibilities had been running through his mind in concern for his friend

"Hey, s'goin on?" Jim was obviously a bit fuzzy about what was going on, his voice was cracking and going oddly high, Bones would be laughing right now had it not been for how relieved he was

"How ya feelin'?" he said glancing at the bio-readings "and don't you dare BS me because I'm pretty sure I know the answer and you had better tell the truth"

"Ok, I feel like a truck ran over my face after Spock used me as a punching bag while I have a hangover" he said resigned

"That good? Well I am pretty good aren't I?" he said with a smirk

"Why do I feel like I am gonna be stuck here for a while?"

"Because you had two seizures, a fever of 104⁰, and you were hallucinating about gremlins" he said deadpan, checking Kirks pulse

"Sounds like it's been an interesting…?"

"Week" Bones filled in for him

"Wow, a week? Has the ship gone to chaos without me?" he asked with as much of his patented smile as he could muster

"Actually, things have been running quite smoothly with Spock in charge. Although, no one has been playing 'I spy' on the bridge" McCoy looked at him as a parent letting a child know that they know what they've done

"It gets boring up there when nothings goin' on" he said in his defense, his words were slurring

"Ya, the captain says its 'boring' on the bridge" he muttered under his breath

"Wha…?" he was losing stamina

"Nothin' ya idiot"

"I'm captain, you are supposed to answer me" he mumbled, he was falling asleep and nothing was going to stop him and McCoy was soon too follow


End file.
